RTÉ is behaving “aggressively” and undermining competition in the broadcasting market even as it flags its financial woes to Government, Virgin Media Television has complained to RTÉ director general Dee Forbes. Virgin, owned by broadband and pay-TV company Virgin Media Ireland, has accused its rival of using its public funding to outbid it for production staff, on-screen personnel, sports rights and programming. In a letter sent to Ms Forbes, Virgin Media Television director of content Bill Malone claims RTÉ is making the independent production sector a “sacrificial lamb” for the organisation’s “budgetary and organisational deficits”. But Virgin “can only spend what we earn” and did not have the option to record annual deficits or “overspend”, he said. However, Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), which represents independent producers, said it expected RTÉ “to honour its statutory obligation to spend approximately €40 million on original Irish content” in 2020.

Source: The Irish Times October 08, 2020 04:18 UTC